The Dying Dawn
by Harlin
Summary: Based off the book the Raging Quiet by Sherryl Jordan. Full summary inside. Basically what happened after the ending of the book. :


Summary: Just like Marnie, always stubborn, refuses to go to the town Father Brannan told her of and never uses the letter he wrote to the priest. Instead they travel along the coast until they reach the small town of Pocuram, a fishing community that's ports have recently been exploited by the richer for shipping and trading. Among these are our old friends, the Isherwoods. Still, Marnie and Raven find a home here and a place to settle. But it isn't sunshine and rainbows for Marnie and Raven yet.

The first signs of the Plague epidemic begin to show themselves within the community, causing illness, mayhem, paranoia and suspicion. People everywhere are looking for someone to blame and although Marnie is safe this time, Raven will always be different and the people's ignorance might be his undoing.

Note: The town, people and everything else is completely fictional, except for the fact that the Plague actually happened and info about it. The characters Marnie, Raven, the Isherwoods and Father Brannan all belong to the brilliant writer Sherryl Jordan. Other characters are of my own creation.

This is as if there was a second book. :) A continuation from where the book left off.

**The Dying Dawn**

**Prologue**

Somehow, Marnie had found herself in the same situation that she was in the last time she reached a new town with a new husband; sitting outside some god forsaken tavern, waiting for her husband to come. It was near dark and the sky above was threatening rain with dark looming clouds. It was late autumn and although she doubted snow would come so quickly, it didn't stop the chilling wind circling her, digging into her bones. Marnie had grabbed a blanket from the back of the wagon, the one that had previously been placed over the makeshift chicken pen, to calm them down in the darkness. She wrapped it tightly over her small limbs and pointed her gaze back to the wooden and unstable door of the gray brick tavern.

'Where could he be?' Marnie thought bitterly, ignoring the looks she was getting out the windows of neighboring houses. They could have rented out a small room for the night by now, yet Raven was wasting time doing a simple task of getting a few things to eat tonight. Surely it couldn't take this long? The faces watching her from their windows, wondering why she was sitting there for so long, started to irk her. She kept her gaze straight ahead, ignoring the looks she got. She was quite practiced in ignoring people by now.

Marnie's attention turned to the old wooden door as Raven slammed it closed behind him, the laughter of the tavern shining out for a brief moment until muffled by the door. He hopped back onto the wagon, grumbling strange noises, his hands empty. He pulled the reigns roughly from Marnie's hands and gave them an angry flick, sending the whole cart lurching. Marnie almost fell out of her seat, her numb thighs and behind not taking the sudden movement kindly. She shot Raven a pointed angry look, but he ignored her. She tapped on his arm, trying to get his attention but he was deliberately ignoring her now.

Marnie frowned and turned away from him, ignoring him back. And the two rode off silently ignoring each other, the carriage rattling along the dirt road, the chickens in the back hopping out of their pen and began pecking at their belongings. Getting fend up, Marnie grabbed the reigns from Raven and pulled the animals to a stop. She turned to Raven, slightly pink in the cheeks under the lights streaming out from double store town houses, and signed to him, '_Where is food?'_

Raven a little surprised and annoyed by Marnie's sudden stop, simply signed back, '_No food'_

'_Why no food?' _Marnie pressed.

Suddenly Raven's face squished up and he said rapidly, his hands flying quickly from word to word, '_Many men laugh at my mouth words, won't give me food. I say, 'cheese and bread please' and they laugh. They say many mouth words, and laugh. Many men are stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid!'_

Marnie's face softened and replied, '_Yes, very stupid.'_

Raven turned to her, the hurt clear in his eyes. _'Why do they laugh? Why? My mouth words are good, not bad. My mouth words made me hurt, but never people laugh. Why?'_

Smiling gently, Marnie stroked Raven's cheek gently with the back of her hand. He wasn't crying, but he might as well have been. She smiled at him, at a loss for words and Raven smiled sadly back. It was true, Raven's mouth words weren't perfect, but the noises he used to make were a far cry from what he could do now. His words were able to be understood, what more could you ask?

Raven gently leaned over and kissed her nose, his forehead resting against hers. Marnie was amazed how much she could read from his eyes alone, yet they had communicated with no words many times before, when neither of them had all the words. Somehow, Marnie preferred some of the moments they had together where there were no words.

It was just infinitely better when some things just couldn't be expressed through words alone.


End file.
